"Fetal Horses"

Dead Oceans

Artists:

On the surface, the message seems clear: John Vanderslice will totally fuck your girlfriend if you donâ€™t treat her right. Okay, maybe "Fetal Horses" isn't quite that crass, but coming from a guy who must be sick of the title "nicest guy in indie rock," the couplet "I live with another/ I stole her from her lover" is just short of JV's own "Trapped in the Closet". Vanderslice isn't in danger of getting jumped by a midget, but his story is unreal in a different way: "Fetal horses, gallop in the womb/ Seeding courses in an empty room" reads like a dream-analysisÂ transcript, and takes on an especially surreal air when cut with a rich, nostalgia-heavy mix of acoustic guitar, piano, and high-pitched synth sheen. "Fetal Horses" is a weird-sounding song, but Vanderslice makes sure it's more eerie than anything-- an emotional purgatory somewhere between the serene satisfaction of reconnecting with a lover and the dark memories of the situation that led to the reconciliation.